Continuing its trend of offering products with features that consumers demand, AMD has released the FX-60. AMD’s FX line of processor began with the FX-53 based around Socket 940 and was targeted at the enthusiast crowd with its large cache and unlocked multiplier. Desiring the benefits offered with the move to socket 939 AMD followed the FX-53 with the FX-55 which bumped the speed rating and added the ability to use non-ECC ram. The FX-57 was introduced as the next logical step along with the expected speed bump. Today Techwarelabs has the opportunity to bring you AMD’s latest offering the FX-60. Breaking the trend AMD has set for the last 3 processors in the FX line the FX-60 offers consumers something wholly new in the FX lineup, dual cores.

Consumers have embraced the dual core offering from both Intel and AMD with open arms. As we have stated before the ability to multi-task is greatly enhanced with dual core processors. It’s no wonder that when dual core technology was released there were many consumers ready to purchase. Intel’s offering of dual core technology includes the Intel Pentium D 820, and Intel 840 Extreme Edition. The only difference between these two is the inclusion of hyper threading in the Extreme Edition. AMD’s lineup began with the X2 3800+ but has come to include the 3500+, 4000+, 4200+, 4400+, 4800+, and now the FX-60. AMD like Intel has followed a practice of varying the amount of L2 cache and feature set in its processors more than just the speed to rate its processors. The big difference between AMD and Intel processors has always been the ability to “overclock” AMD processors. Aside from engineering samples or prototype processors from Intel, there are no consumer products from Intel that offer the ability to vary the multiplier built into the processor. This was a difference that consumers, especially the enthusiasts, always desired. It also was a difference that AMD exploited to offer its consumers a valued difference as far back as the original Athlon processor. With the FX series the ability to directly control the multiplier from within the bios became supported out of the box. It also marked the first time an OEM manufacturer marketed this ability as a feature of the product. With the extreme popularity of the FX lineup its fairly reasonable to say that AMD has judge consumer desired correctly. This popularity also begs the question “why doesn’t Intel piggy back on the success of the FX series and offer a similarly unlocked processor?” Aside from the possibility of burning a hole through the side of your motherboard it would doubtlessly be popular.